I did my first Fair Isle knitting about four or five years ago. I fell in love with the colors, the snowflake pattern and the challenge of learning a new knitting technique.
I made two of these in mirror images for my daughters. I plan on making them again, they were easy and looked spectacular as slouch hats. We have several yarns that would fit the bill including the yarn I’m currently using on this Fair Isle hat-
This is a brand new yarn from Plymouth called Incan Spice it comes in 6 luscious colors. It is a blend of extra fine wool, alpaca, mulberry silk, and yak. It’s unbelievably soft, delicate and mushy! Perfect yarn feel. The Yak gives the hat a slight halo that softens the look of each stitch. Best of all I will have enough yarn to make a second hat by shifting the colors around.
Here are the other three yarn. The red is my favorite, watch for a project in that.
I was researching Fair Isle knitting and the history behind it; I was taken back to an era where knitting literally put food on the table and kept you warm in wet cold weather. Fair Isle is an Island off the northern coast of Scotland, part of the Shetlands. There is a show on the Acorn channel on Amazon Prime that has a detective show called Shetland and there was an episode on Fair Isle, you saw many of the amazing landmarks of the Island.
In order to live there, you must be a jack of all trades, crofting is the only way to earn a living, but the beauty and simplicity seem to make it worth it to 55 souls who are there. In the past, knitwear was traded to passing ships for food, water and raw material. Even ships wrecks brought wood, iron, and ropes to the people on the islands during its long history.
The idea of Fair Isle has splintered off to mean any kind of stranded colorwork and has been interpreted into different types of garments all over the world. But real and true Fair Isle knitting can only be from a garment knitted on Fair Isle with wool that has been harvested and dyed there. I’ll give them that. Each piece is unique to that knitter and the design she creates.
Don’t be scared of this style of knitting, it comes easier with practice and of course, you don’t start with a multi-colored sweater. The hat that I am doing is very simple and super easy. It comes in a kit, and you can pick your own colors! At the Creation Station, we are here to help you be successful with your knitting projects.
Happy Yarning
Catherine & Rachael
Learn a Craft Create a Passion!
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